Warmth in a Cold Heart
by J. Wolfman
Summary: Some people actually said that this was a romance story, but I somewhat disagree with them. :-) Can Wolf of all people be capable of... love?


Chapter One

"Never again shall I be helpless in the paws of the enemy. Never...again."

--Bill Grey, Katina Commander

The winds of Fortuna were like sharp needles flying as Wolf O'Donnell stood by his grounded Wolfen ship in the middle of a snow-blanketed field. His jet was smoking still from the lasers that killed the engines, and the fuel line was destroyed also. Behind the jet was a trail of trenched snow, evidence that the jet had landed tens of yards away and slid to this spot. Wolf injured his right arm at the process, but it was an internal injury, so there was no bleeding. Broken bones a great possibility, but still he could move his arm, painfully though.

Wolf grumbled as he used his other arm to wrap himself tighter with a torn blanket, huddling close by the cold steel of the jet to shield some of the wind. His comlink had failed, and the long-range communicator suffered the same fate. Still, he hoped feverishly that there would be some rescue before he would freeze to death. After four hours, nothing yet, and he was getting numb, his arm painfully reminding him of the crash. He looked up at the spot where the smoke was rushing out from, and sneered at it. While it may do him nothing good, at least it was better than sitting on the freezing snow like a statue.

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And I will become a statue in two hours if those stupid rescuers don't come here!

He blamed himself for being in this pit. After the battle against StarFox nine months ago, he was a mess, not being able to will himself to fly again, and his hatred for Fox had reached a point which he would do nothing else. Three months later, Leon Powalski went over to Macbeth when he heard news about Bill Grey's capture once again in Fortuna along with his dalmatian cousin and several scientists. A week after that, Leon came back home grouchily, saying that Fox McCloud and his merry pilots had stormed into the base and rescued Bill. At least Roverans, the dalmatian, was still in Leon's paws, and that would give him a small advantage over the dog that wished to see him inside a furnace. Just a week ago, Wolf was appointed to patrol the area around Fortuna alone, and he wasn't pleased at that. As time went by, Andross and Wolf had gone further apart, and there might be a point which he could leave Andross and his stinking Venom Forces forever.

As Wolf scanned the space as he orbited Fortuna, three Cornerian jets burst into the scene with a barrage of lasers. Too distracted to respond, Wolf turned toward the cold planet and entered the atmosphere, with the three jets tailing him. Instantly, a blizzard clouded his visual of the landscape and the three jets, but his radar accurately pinpointed the jets' positions. Wolf tried the best he could to fend those pests off, but the three kept at it, firing at him, making mincemeat out of his sputtering engine. Finally, Wolf realized that the engines had failed and saw the ground grew closer and closer. He crashed with a rocking shake, and his right arm hit one of the canopy windows hard, breaking both the window and his arm. When he halted to a stop, the jets had left, cheering themselves. Now, here he was, sitting in the middle of nowhere, and his butt and tail were frosty. He could stay in his jet, but it's colder in there, and it's a fuel mess in the cockpit.

"C'mon, c'mon! Where are you morons!?" He cursed with a deep sigh, and with his head bowed and almost covered by the blanket, tried to sleep.

He was awakened by a sharp whisper of a hovering craft near him. His good left eye peered open, and spotted a transport landing just yards away. He stood up, thinking he was about to be saved. The blizzard was gone, and a small blanket of snow had covered him. As he brushed the snow off him, he noticed the insignia on the transport. It was Cornerian.

Cursing himself, Wolf reached for his phaser, but just for the fun of it, he didn't pull it out just yet. Moments later a door slid open and a blue-uniformed raccoon walked out, his face firm and a phaser on stun aimed at Wolf. He seemed to be alone.

The raccoon stood yards away. "Venom soldier, you are under arrest for violating Cornerian borders."

Wolf laughed. "I'm neutral officer. I don't side with maniac emperors."

"The life-scans say that you are with Ven-"

Wolf instantly pulled out his phaser and quickly fired the first laser. The raccoon was struck dead with a blow to the chest, and toppled forward, landing with a joyful yet faint thud.

"Boring conversation, anyway," Wolf said as he walked over to the raccoon. He roughly took his phaser from his limp paws, kicked him soundly on the head, and laughed. Leaving him to freeze in the cold, Wolf got inside the transporter and with a roar of soft engines lifted off and sped into space.

Chapter Two

"I am the symbol of all evil. No one can reach even halfway up the mountain of evil that I conquered easily."

--Wolf O'Donnell, StarWolf

There were no threats as Wolf cruised through space toward home. Everything was silent except for the soft hum of the engines, and the creaking of Wolf's reclining pilot chair. Unlike a cockpit, a transporter pilot can get up from his or her seat during flight, and there was no control stick to steer; only buttons. Wolf never had experience with transporter flight, but it was generally like those of jet piloting. However, being in a transporter has its grave dangers. First off, all transporters under both Venom and Corneria are so slow that even an Invader-class flea could fly circles around it. Also, it has no warp drive, so you can forget about escaping safely from a squadron in a slow poke like this. Finally, the ship has low power to shields; one hyperlaser shot would take care of it. 

__

Oh yeah, I don't have any weapons on this junkyard of a ship. No lasers, no bombs, no nothing. What is this, a Peace Corps ship or something? Wolf thought sarcastically as he went over the many buttons on the console. He set the transporter on autopilot and walked off. He found his thawing blanket on a closet, and laid it on the floor. With a yawn, he sleepily laid down on the blanket, and tried to sleep again. Sleeping while lying down was something you could never do in a cockpit. 

Bill Grey was getting stronger toward his fears. Sure his memories of the first torture at the paws of Leon and the disappearance of his cousin Roverans haunted him, but its time for him to face them. The nightmares that used to come every single night now skip a day or two at times. Once he tried to bear the noise of the table saw at a construction site near the Katina Base, and he managed to do so for fifteen seconds before he ran off, whimpering. Still, that's an improvement. His hatred for Leon had grown however, and there were some witnesses that claimed to hear screaming and Bill cursing Leon just before lights out to sleep. He became more open like he used to be, but Leon would always be in his mind, whether he liked it or not. His sanity had gotten worse, but he could keep his moral thinking and temper cool, if he wanted to.

Three days after Wolf's escape from Fortuna, Bill was sitting behind his desk in his office at the Katina Base. The desk was littered with paperwork that had stacked like skyscrapers during Bill's absence of duty, and now waiting to be completed. The phone on his right flashed a red button as Bill was going through a report. 

Bill pushed the button and went on speaker. "Yes, what is it?"

"Sherry here," answered one of the Command console officers and friend of Bill. "My radar shows a Cornerian transporter entering Katina space, but the pilot doesn't show Corneria identification. He might be for Venom."

"Where is it heading, Miss Trevor?"

"Um, toward Venom sir, but he has to get through our space first, if he goes in a straight line. The autopilot might be on. What should we do with this?"

"Send a jet over to him and use a tractor beam to pull him to here."

Suddenly, there was commotion in Command. Sherry spoke in a surprised voice. "Sir, our life scanner had gone through a list of Venom officers, and the one in the transporter is a Lieutenant Commander."

Bill was startled. "Lieutenant Commander? You mean the one sitting in there is Wolf O'Donnell himself?"

Sherry was equally surprised. "I'm puzzled by this as well, but the scanner confirms it. That's Wolf in the transporter. General Pepper will like this, don't you think so?"

His hatred for Leon crept into Bill. He knew Wolf was a friend of Leon, so why not make some fun out of this? "Um, Sherry, eliminate my last order. Send four Bulldog jets to the scene and blast him."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"You heard what I said, Sherry. Blast the wolfish creep to bits. Deploy four fighters now."

"Why four?"

"In case of a trap."

"Well, okay sir. Right away sir," she said finally and hung up. 

When everything was silent again, Bill reclined back his chair and laid both his feet on his desk. "Let's see if you can top this, Leon Powalski!"

Chapter Three

"Heroes come and go. Wars come and go. Evil however, has a way of staying in the minds of anyone indefinitely."

--Andross, Venom Emperor

Wolf knew the alarm coming off wasn't good news when he woke up suddenly. The ship was flashing red, and that annoying, indescribable alarm harmed his ears. He rushed to the console, his eye on the radar screen. Four white blips in attack formation were heading toward him dead ahead, with lasers already warmed up and ready to kill some sitting duck named Wolf.

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Bulldog class jets. Oh this is going to be my day. No weapons, no chance of outrunning them, and I'm outnumbered four to one. Gee, will the host of the Worst Day of My Life show please come over and give me a stinking prize? Now, before I meet Mr. Laser, or Miss Nova Bomb? This is going to be a whole load of crap.

He stared at the monitor screen, frantically readjusting his eyepatch as he does when he's extremely nervous. He could see the planet Katina, that stinko white planet, in the short distance, only twenty minutes away. To his horror, four jets representing Death were coming toward him. While he knew it was fruitless, he pushed some buttons and turned his ship around, hoping to buy more time. Why do some people are desperate to run for their lives even when it's hopeless? Is life that precious?

With the jets on his tail and quickly overtaking him, Wolf was sweating like Pigma at a summer day. His heart pounded, sucking fluid in and out like a bagpipe with a frantic musician. He panted, and his left good eye blinked quickly and fluttered. He was paying no attention to the radar screen at all. Half a minute later, Wolf turned and saw one of the jets on view from his side window. He could see the leopard pilot waving at Wolf with a cheery smile. Wolf gave the finger at him and the pilot just laughed and got behind him, ready to shoot.

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Well, this is it, Wolf. The perfect ending of a not-so-perfect life. Go ahead guys. Shoot me. I'll see ya in Hell later.

Wolf then heard an explosion, but he wasn't feeling any fire or heat. It came from behind, from one of the jets. "What the heck?"

He clicked on the rear view screen and saw an unexpected sight. Only three jets were there, scrambling all over the place. Someone was firing at them, but Wolf couldn't see his "rescuer." He stood up from his chair, not knowing what to do. Lasers were flying all around him, but they weren't intended to hit him. Another explosion occurred. Two jets left.

Trying to calm himself down, Wolf sat back down on his chair, watching the rear screen. To his surprise, there were yellow lasers flying around, and no jet registered shoot lasers of that color. One of the lasers struck one of the Bulldog jets, and the explosion almost blinded Wolf. The remaining jet, knowing he was against a skillful adversary, tried to escape, but Wolf first caught sight of the unknown jet chasing him. It was bluish in color, but it was of a strange shape and bears no Corneria or Venom insignia. It was firing the yellow lasers out of its wings, and the remaining Bulldog jet finally exploded.

Wolf cheered, but he was uncertain that this strange pilot might be friend or foe. He clicked on an all-frequency line, and held the comlink close to his relieved face. "Yahoo! That's amazing!"

To his shock, a female voice answered, just as jubilantly as he. "Well thank you. May I ask your name, dear sir?"

"Wolf O'Donnell, Lt. Commander of Venom and leader of StarWolf. What's yours?"

"Sheila Lupine, and I'm neutral. Now what's with you flying a Corneria transporter and having four Bulldog jets on your tail?"

"It's a long story. I can't see you anywhere..."

Sheila answered that by positioning her jet alongside the transporter, and Wolf could take a close look of the ship off his side window. He was almost in awe of its uniqueness and beauty. It was generally shaped like the biplanes of the old days of pioneering aerial flight hundreds of years ago, with some differences of course. It was blue from tail to nose, except for the black shaded canopy of the cockpit. It was so shaded that Wolf couldn't see the pilot. The guns were located at the far edges of the two wings, and the letters _Sunlaser _were painted yellow on the right side of the tail.

"Sunlaser, eh? Is that custom-made?"

"Yep. Took me a year to build it from stolen parts. It's my pride and joy. What happened to your Wolfen jet?"

"Frozen in Fortuna. A stupid mistake. How come you rescued me?"

"I don't like Corneria and their scum. They want peace yet whenever they see a Venom soldier they picked up their guns and try to shoot him or her. They are hypocrites by and far."

"Well then why didn't you join with Venom?"

"I'm a free spirit, a rogue pilot like you used to be. I steal to live, and I shoot down anything Cornerian for fun."

Wolf laughed. "You know, I think I'm going to like you, Sheila. Do you have a comlink monitor?"

"Yeah, I do. You might recognize my face."

Wolf clicked on one of the monitors on the console, and saw the face of the pilot who saved his life. She was a white-furred wolf, with fierce golden eyes and the ears were colored red. She was beautiful, but Wolf couldn't recognize her at first. "Um, no I really don't. I'm not sure."

Sheila almost made a pouting look. "I'm the granddaughter of Sir Gremaio."

Wolf almost sputtered with delight. Sir Gremaio was the very last pilot to be knighted decades ago, and his granddaughter was said to be one of the best pilots there is. 

"You're the one? I've heard you once shot down eight Cornerian jets four months ago!"

"Was that what the rumor said? Well, it's mostly the asteroids' faults. I'm just better at maneuvering than they are, if you know what I mean," she said and laughed as she expertly made a barrel roll. "Those asteroids exist for a reason, you know."

"I don't like asteroids. They unnerve me for some reason. Listen um, is there anyplace we can stop safely?"

"How about going into Katina?"

"You're joking right? I mean a Venom-controlled place."

"I know what you mean, but do you want to keep flying that slow transporter?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Why don't we get the attention of a patroller that flies a good fighter jet, and kill the pilot to get his jet."

"Hmmm, I like that. You will see how accurate my shooting is."

"Actually, let me do the job. I'm good at shooting with my phaser, but I have other great skills I want to show you myself, okay?"

"Fine. I'll follow you to wherever we land. What if we find Bulldog jets along the way?"

"I can take care of those idiots. After all, I just shot down four of them, right?" 

Chapter Four

"While I don't really love Wolf, I liked him simply because he is like me; independent, a great pilot, and I just loves the way he viewed Fox with hatred. I don't care much for him also."

--Sheila Lupine, untitled

The two wolfish pilots landed in the middle of a grassy field, almost surrounded by roaming hills. The tall grasses and flowers swayed with the wind, and when Wolf's canopy opened, he could smell a flowery fragrance. It sickened him, but he decided to tolerate it, for Sheila's sake.

Sheila shook paws with him when Wolf stepped down. She wore a white shirt with a green-colored collar. Her black baggy pants were clean and silky, and a golden belt had a holster with a phaser similar to Wolf's.

"So, how do we attract a pilot to get here? You go up on the highest hill and wave at one? That ought to attract one."

"Are you trying to flatter or insult me? Oh never mind. I got a flare gun in my jet, and I'll shoot one up. That ought to do it."

Wolf nodded and Sheila grabbed the gun and shot a red flare up into the sky. After several minutes, both of them could see a jet coming from the northwest. It was a protector class ship, less advanced than the Bulldog or Wolfen class jets, but this one could fire good lasers and maneuver well. Have no bomb-carrying capacity though, and low shields. The unsuspecting bobcat pilot landed a few yards away from the two wolf pilots, and came out with his phaser aimed at them.

"You need help?"

Sheila spoke first, rather casually. "Yes, we do. My ship is experiencing engine problems, and needs to be fixed."

The bobcat put away his phaser. He didn't know Wolf or that they intended to kill him. "That ship looks custom-made, Ma'am. I don't think the mechanics would know how to fix it."

"It's actually more similar than you think," she said, and opened a panel door on the _Sunlaser's_ nose, exposing part of the engine. "Come and see."

The bobcat nodded and walked over next to her, his eyes focused on the engine and not on her. Instantly and with no warning, Sheila grabbed his right arm and twisted it in a snap motion.

The cracking sound that followed made Wolf smile. The bobcat screamed and tried to reach for his phaser with his good arm, but Sheila had already gotten it, and threw it away. She then pushed him and he stumbled to the ground, moaning and holding his injured arm. 

Sheila laughed lustfully and calmly walked over to him. Grabbing his shirt on the chest, she pulled him up, and kicked him on the groin. The bobcat flinched and stopped breathing for a second before letting out a moan. Sheila punched him in the face with an uppercut, and a twirling ariel kick sent the victim to the ground, lying down unconscious.

Wolf came up to her, clapping and grinning. "That's quite a skill you have. Where you learned that?"

"My father was a black-belt in Judo. I was a student of his, but I treated the art as if something for me to use to fight, not for spiritual reasons or something like that. I have one finishing move for this fellow."

Wolf backed off. "Oh really? Let's see it."

Sheila knelt just behind the bobcat's head, and with her lethal paws, held his head in a certain position. One twist ended the bobcat's life. A minute later, his protector class jet and the _Sunlaser_ flew off into space.

Bill Grey was irritated once again. He paced back and forth in the Command Room, the console officers pushing buttons and reading reports on their radar screens. 

"Sir,' one of them said. "The unidentified ship and Wolf had left Katina. What is your order?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking. Um,...okay. Send nine Bulldog jets to chase and hunt them down. Try to prevent them from entering Venom space."

"But sir, the unknown ship had already killed four jets in rapid-"

"I know! This time, they will be killed!"

"We got company," said Sheila as soon as they came out into space. "Nine jets on our tails. Bulldog class."

"Looks like you made ol' Bill mad. You think you have the situation taken care of? I don't see any asteroids though."

"Don't worry, my one-eyed friend. I don't like Bill anyway. His voice accent is too-surf like for my taste."

Wolf laughed, and accelerated toward Venom several hours away. However, his jet was too slow, and lasers from the pursuers were raking on his jet. Sheila made a quick U-turn and fired on the jets while still upside-down. With superior speed, she passed through the jets like a blur, shooting down four jets in three seconds. Once she passed them, she made another U-turn and now on the tails of the five remaining jets.

Wolf was amazed with her excellent skills, but he had too many problems to admire her. Two of the Bulldog jets still concentrated on him, making Swiss cheese out of his inferior jet with their relentless lasers. Already his shields were down to danger point.

"Sheila! Get your white tail over here and help me! I'm almost down!"

A rather irritated female voice answered. "Yeah, yeah, don't pull your remaining eye out. I'm coming, alright?"

Moments later, the lasers firing on him stopped suddenly. Wolf looked behind and saw the debris of the two jets that were chasing him. Once again, Sheila had saved his life.

"There, you happy now?" said Sheila. "I'll distract the others. You get out of here if you want to live to see me again. I'll catch up with you."

Wolf was too agreeable to argue, so he just sped off at his fullest speed. At the meantime, Sheila had the last three Bulldog jets on her tail. Those survivors were getting desperate to stop her, for their lasers were more wildly shot and relentless. One of the lasers struck her right top wing, but her shield was powerful, and no damage was done.

"C'mon, Boys. You want a piece of me? Go ahead and try!"

Sheila deflected a couple lasers with her barrel roll, and tilt her wings right to head on that direction. The jets kept at it with their fire, and followed her moves. The three jets went on a triangle formation, but they couldn't gain on her, but they didn't lose her either.

Sheila wasn't the least bit worried. Laughing with Death, she dipped downwards and turned right again. The pursuers were on her tail still, but that didn't matter to her. "You still want to play? Boy, you guys just love me, don't you?"

She made a somersault and the Bulldog pilots found themselves with an expert pilot on their tails. One pilot didn't even have time to react when he was blown into space dust.

Sheila quickly shot down another one, and now firmly fixed on the very last jet. "Play time's over. My apologies!!!"

The last surviving Bulldog jet was torn apart into fire and dust as the yellow lasers cleanly shot through the hull, and one of them went right through the pilot's head like a knife through butter. Once again, Sheila victors against her enemies.

Sheila pretended a yawn. "Ho-hum, you need more practice, Boys. Let's see now, I shot down fourteen Bulldog jets in a matter of an hour, killed a patrol pilot, and saved the leader of StarWolf twice. Yep, I think that's a personal record for me. Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Chapter Five

"Despite my evilness, even I can have a good heart, but only after that certain person does some special favors to me."

--Wolf O'Donnell, StarWolf

Wolf's jet was in a mess. His engine was sputtering when Sheila had caught up with him, and was losing fuel faster than what it supposed to be. His targeting monitor was out, and so was the gun on his left wing. Parts of his right wing were peeling off, and one part of his canopy window was cracked. If he doesn't land or dock soon, he would be drifting in a dead jet in space.

"You okay, Wolf?" Sheila said as she pulled up by him.

"Does it look like I'm okay? God, this jet is a junk! Give me a Wolfen class jet anytime!"

Sheila scanned around. Katina was just a dim blot behind them, and no other planet could be seen for now. However, in the far distance ahead, she could barely spot a grayish cylinder shaped object. It might be forty minutes away, maybe more. "Um, Wolf, where are we?"

Wolf checked his navigation screen. That one too was dead. "I don't know, Sheila. Don't you have a navigation screen working?"

Sheila made an embarrassed chuckle. "Actually I don't have one at all. A mistake when this jet was under construction. I forgot to add it in. Sorry."

"Oh great," he said sarcastically. "The invincible Sheila Lupine, who shot down fourteen jets in one hour, forgot to add in a navigation screen. Well how in darn carnation can you find your way in this stink hole of a galaxy!!?"

Sheila shrugged. "I never really need it. I don't actually travel all that much."

"Figures. Wait, what about that gray object in front of us? What is that anyway?"

"It might be an hour away. Space station maybe?"

Wolf shook his head. "There's no registered station in Katina space except for Outpost 459, and that one is not this. Believe me, I know. Well, what else could it be?"

"I'm not sure. Let's check it out. How's your fuel?"

"At this rate, it will keep this junk running for an hour and a half. If that's a space station, then we must dock there."

"Right. I'll scout ahead and I'll keep in contact with you. Warn me about any more Katina jets, and I'll be there to help you."

"Yeah, fine. Go ahead. I don't think Bill will be stupid enough to send out more of his pilots. He now knows what you are capable of."

Sheila laughed. "He doesn't even know half of me! See ya later!" 

The _Sunlaser _flew off, leaving Wolf sputtering once again, towards the gray object in space, whatever it was.

Sheila hummed to herself a song that she heard in a bar weeks ago as she cruised straight toward the gray object, which was becoming to be more like a space station. So far so good. No more Bulldog jets are coming in, and everything looked smooth. Wolf was perhaps ten minutes behind her. 

"Hey Wolf, how are you doing so far?" She said in her speaker comlink, for they were too far apart to use the monitor comlink.

"Fine, if you think having your right engine almost dead is fine. My left one is sputtering just okay!"

"Leave your sarcastic nature at home, Wolf."

"Sorry, no can do. Venom is hours away, I'm sure."

"I need to slow down here. Your jet is almost off my radar."

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much!"

"Can you still fire your lasers? Can you steer? Can you even make a flip?"

"I never learned how to make a somersault, Sheila."

"Really? And you call yourself the best there is!"

"Don't make me mad, you pale-furred whelp! You think you're the best? Well, put me in a Wolfen ship and I'll give you a lesson you'll never forget!"

"You want me to turn around and fire a couple of my yellow lasers at you? You are in no position to boast your 'high skills of flying'. Besides, you owe me, twice!" 

Sheila heard Wolf growl and heard a bang of glass. She shook her head. "You know, if you break that canopy in outer space, you'll be sucked out."

"Why don't you just figure out that gray object and keep your smart mouth shut, understand?"

"Yes, your majesty," she spoke quickly then shut off her comlink. Laughing to herself, she made a barrel roll for fun. She may be the only one to annoy Wolf O'Donnell and get away with it. But then again, no one besides Leon had saved his life before, twice.

The gray object was indeed a space station, but it was long abandoned. The many windows of the cylinder-shaped station were dark, but since there seemed to be no evidence of a battle, it must have been evacuated due to its age and uselessness. It looked so old that it must have been used a hundred years ago when space travel had reached it's first high. On the very center of the cylinder structure was a connecting loop, with about forty docks, but some of them are useless. Still, Wolf must dock here if he doesn't want to drift in space without fuel. It was quite small, probably capable of carrying over three hundred people. A hundred years ago, this must be big. Now, there are star cruisers that could swallow this runt whole. Once again, though reluctant, she turned back on the comlink.

"Hey Wolf-"

Immediately, she heard him speak several curses in rapid sequence and some words in a tongue she couldn't describe but doesn't want to. "Sheila! Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?"

"I'm at the space station. Abandoned. Some of the docks are too dangerous to be used, but there might be one still usable."

"Well finally! My right engine is dead now, and my left is giving way."

"Pull yourself together, Wolf. The station is just fifteen minutes away. I'll find a suitable place and dock there. You dock your jet right next to mine, and we'll figure something out once we're inside." 

Sheila heard a sigh of relief then the comlink was shut off.

"Commander Grey, the stranger pilot had docked in the old ID23 space station," reported one of the console officers in Katina Command. Bill rubbed his chin thoughtfully. 

"What is the condition of Wolf's jet?"

"Hanging in there. He might make it to the station. I think Wolf and the stranger are going to stay there and figure out a way on how to be rescued."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. It's time we kill this stranger and Wolf and gain our revenge. Send two transporters carrying nineteen soldiers to ID23, and we'll hunt them down by foot and phaser."

"Nineteen, Sir? We can have room for one more."

"Yes, I know. I'm going with them myself."

Chapter Six

"Bill Grey's state of mind is questionable."

--Dr. Mortan, one of Bill's therapists

The interior of the space station was cold, dark, and had a musk smell. Sheila couldn't see four feet ahead in the blackness, so she went back to her jet and got out her flashlight. With that tool, she could see the rotting gray walls and cracked panels. Several large tiles on the ceiling were hanging loose, with only a corner or two still hanging on for dear life before it could plummet down to the floor of death. While the exterior of the station showed no battle aftermath scenes, the interior showed a much different story, starting with a drop of dried blood on one of the walls near where she had docked.

Curious, she walked further out, scanning with her flashlight. Suddenly, she smelled a bad odor, and decided to follow it. She was led into a room close by, and soon regretted her curiosity. A decaying body of a lion in Cornerian uniform was laying in the middle of the room, his eyes dried up and the smell was horrible. 

Sheila covered her nose and backed out quickly. "Ugh! What the hell happened here?" Despite her better judgement, she decided to brave the stink and took a closer look on the victim. Four burnt marks on the lion's chest were good enough to satisfy her investigation. 

"Phaser wounds. Must be some battle here," she said to herself.

"Space Pirates."

Sheila twirled her body around, and saw Wolf at the doorway. He had a flashlight as well. "Wolf! How you get here so fast?"

"Time flies when you're having fun, doesn't it? I think I could guess what happened here. Thirty years ago, Space Pirates terrorized the Lylat System. This station must be one of their proud war trophies. C'mon, we got to find the main circuitry room so that we don't have to rely on these flashlights all the time. History lessons will have to wait for now."

"Let me get back to my jet. I have supplies that we might need."

"But why? We're only going to be here for a couple of hours."

"Or days, or weeks, or months, or years. Maybe forever. Who knows really? In any case, supplies are needed."

Sheila went back to her jet and packed together all the rations she had, including two shock grenades, four batteries for flashlights, a time grenade, and another phaser, all in one brown leather sack. She hauled the sack over her shoulder and mentioned to Wolf.

"We have to find something that would help us get to the right places, like a map or something."

"We're in a labyrinth for now, Sheila. Until we find this map, we could be going in circles. What's with the weapons?"

"Just in case Bill decides not to give up. Let's go."

Thirty minutes later, two Cornerian troop transporters, which are much different than the usual transporters for they have laser guns, had reached the old space station. Bill, at the pilot's chair, easily spotted the stranger's custom-made jet and a riddled jet next to it at the docking bays. Behind him, nine troops that were chosen due to their skill of the use of the phaser, was silent, all waiting anxiously. Because the Air Force usually goes into the action in the war, the left out troops had an increasing urge to go into battle and see some action for themselves. Bill knew why they were so anxious. After sitting in some Base on their butts, they finally get the chance to see some blood.

Wolf's blood especially, and that stranger's. Some of the troops were friends of the pilots that died on the paws of the stranger that had somehow befriended Wolf of all people. They wanted revenge, and Bill would be glad to give them a chance on getting that revenge. He docked in a bay somewhere nearby the "prey's" jets, and when they had stopped, Bill stood up from his chair and looked on to his troops.

"Now, I know that you must have heard about my horrible experiences with Leon Powalski nine months ago. Even now, I'm haunted by his evil ways. Wolf O'Donnell is an animal that deserves to die even more than Leon, despite my hatred towards him. Wolf is charged with numerous war crimes, and if he wasn't stopped, then more innocent people will suffer because of his sins, his maniacal ways. For the first and perhaps only time, Wolf is vulnerable, and it's up to us to make total advantage of his weaknesses. This is our best chance, and perhaps this is our only chance to stop this monster. As far as we know, Wolf may have some experience with shooting with a phaser, so be careful. Also, once we get inside, we might see some carnage from a fatal battle long ago. Those carcasses may sicken you, I know."

"What about that stranger?"

Bill sighed. "I don't have any information at all about him or her, but along with Wolf, the stranger deserves to die. This pilot was responsible for the deaths of fourteen of our pilots today. We know about his or her piloting skills, but as of right now, the stranger doesn't have the advantages of being in the cockpit. Even he or she is vulnerable. Now, these two are criminals, and the only logical punishment for criminals of their level is death. Therefore, you all have my full permission to shoot on sight."

Bill absently touched his phaser on his holster. It felt cold to the touch, just like death. "Let's move out!!"

Chapter Seven

"Soldiers are trained to kill and expected to be killed for their banner and the government it represents."

--General Popkina, Corneria

"My flashlight's going dead," Wolf commented as they stumbled around the maze-like corridors of the space station. "Seems like death is having a field day around me lately. My Wolfen ship went dead, I almost froze to death, I killed a Fortuna pilot, fourteen Bulldog pilots killed, I was almost blasted twice, you killed that bobcat in Katina, and now, here we are in the Space Station of Death and Carnage."

"Yeah, this is a good day for me too," she responded almost instantly. She found another door and slid it open. Another stuffy smell went up their tortured nostrils, but this room looked much bigger than the small quarters. In fact, by her flashlight, Sheila spotted several computers and consoles, and a large pole of glass was stationed in the very center of the room.

"Engineering room," replied Sheila. "We can turn on the lights from here, if those bulbs still have any spark left."

"Let's check and see."

Sheila walked over to a loosely shut metal door that squeaked loudly as she opened it. Inside were switches. She turned one of the them on that was labeled 'Engineering' and the lights on the ceiling turned on.

Sheila smiled as she turned off her flashlight. "Yes! Hopefully we can turn on all the lights in this station. We might be able to juice up the communications line. What is the closest place from here that is Venom-owned?" 

"Outpost 459. It may be a boring space station, but it's the closest place, I believe. See if you can turn on the computers here."

Sheila clicked on a couple more switches and a humming sound could be heard. After being in a silent place with only the sounds of his breath and Sheila's chatter, the humming was music to Wolf's ears. The computers soon booted up, showing old symbols of the Corneria Defense League that died out ten years ago. Wolf walked over to one of the computers and typed a few commands on it.

"You're trying to open a channel to Outpost 459?"

Wolf ignored her, too busy on the computer. Soon, he grumbled and banged on the monitor. "Damn! The communications lines are all down!"

"Darn it! Of all things...now what are we going to do?"

Wolf was about to answer when the computer made a buzzing sound.

"What's going on, Wolf?"

"One of the scanners reported intruders."

"Us, probably."

"Yeah, and twenty other life-forms are in this place also."

"What?"

"Thank goodness you brought those weapons with you, Sheila. We have company, and I don't think they are going to like us."

"Bill just doesn't give up, doesn't he?"

"Leon must have fried his brain several times too often. For the moment, all the troops are in two places, split into two groups of ten. We are far away enough from them." Wolf's injured arm then sent a shot of pain up to his brain, and he groaned.

"You're going to need medical attention, Wolf. Where is the closest medical room?"

"Sheila, all those troops may be armed with laser machine guns and then some. My arm is the least of my worries now."

"Oh phooey," she stubbornly answered and looked at a map of the station at another computer screen. "Oh goody, there's one across the hall from here and left. C'mon, this will only take a few seconds. I have experience in the medical field."

"You killed a lot of pilots today yet you're experienced in healing?"

"Call me a hypocrite. Are you going to stand there and let those troops find you or are you coming with me?"

Wolf threw up his good arm, and sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going."

"Looks like we don't need these flashlights anymore," one of the troopers in Bill's group remarked as the lights above them flickered on. However, for some of them, they wished to continue being in the dark. Several blast marks were on the walls, and a raccoon skeleton was lying just nearby them. Several of the troops tried to act tough but others covered their mouths.

"At least it's for the better for us," Bill said casually, his phaser aiming forward. "Consider this a history lesson, fellas, and you're also lucky. From what I've heard in high school, those Space Pirates are even meaner than the Venom Invasion Forces. Thank the Gods they were wiped out the face of the Lylat System. Where are we, Sergeant?"

The runt-sized squirrel, holding an electronic map of the station, responded. "We are in the Fourth Sector, Sir. There may be a computer nearby that can pinpoint Wolf and the stranger."

"Find it, Sergeant. The rest of you, let's continue on."

Wolf sat on a leather clinic-type bed, his legs out from the front, waiting impatiently as Sheila dug through the main medicine cabinet. There were four other beds such as this one, and a large mirror was on the back wall. On the other side, an out-of-date CAT scanner lies on the corner, somewhat dusty. Since this was in outer space, there's not as much dust mites coming around here.

"Sheila, you'll going to be using decades old medicine on me. Are you sure that's safe?"

"Oh yes, and you can thank technology for that. Even after a hundred years, the medicine will be usable," she answered and then found a white capsule. "There it is."

"What? I never seen anything like that before."

"Thirty-years can change many designs of medicine, among other things. This is a painkiller that can also heal your bones if they are broken. It will take fifteen minutes for this to take full effect."

"Fifteen minutes? With those troops running around here, I have a feeling we won't have fifteen minutes."

Sheila walked over to him and gave him the capsule. "Well tough, my friend. You want to dodge lasers with a painful arm? Take it."

Grudgingly, he swallowed the capsule, and drank some water from a canteen Sheila had with her. He stood up and took out his phaser. "Because the communication lines are down, calling for rescue is out. We going to have to find other means, but what, I'm not sure. For now, we have to be alert for those Katina boys and maybe even Bill."

Sheila nodded and took out her own phaser. With Wolf leading now, they cautiously walked out of the room and tried to find their way to wherever their feet took them, and hopefully kill a few troops along the way.

Chapter Eight

"Never let your anger get the best of your judgement."

--Louise Greman, soldier of Corneria

Despite his anxiousness for battle, Private Grosla wasn't prepared for it. Ever since he joined in the Katina Army, he had not seen one battle except through monitors. He watched those pilots kill and be killed with a sense of awe. He believed that those pilots were fearless, charging right into the enemy with no thought of his or her own life, for the safety and protection of the Katina Military. However, as he roamed the empty hallways of the station, he felt something new when it comes to battle: fear. He feared for that moment when Wolf or that stranger would burst right into view, their lethal phasers aiming right at him. He feared for an ambush. He even feared of his trustworthy comrades leaving without him, trapping him in a dead place. Quickly, his positive feelings towards battles had dramatically dropped. His breathing was so loud that the bobcat was worried that Wolf may hear it and know his presence.

The nine other soldiers, holding their machine guns with alert determination, felt the same way more or less. They were in the third sector of the station when they found a cardboard box in the middle of the hallway as they turned on a curved corner. It seemed harmless, but there was something about that box that made Grosla uncomfortable. One of the troopers, a brown doberman, casually walked over to it and picked it up. The others, including Grosla, crowded him, attempting to make a closer look as the doberman opened it.

Inside was a red baton-shaped object, with a black box off one of the ends. The doberman recognized it immediately, and dropped the box, his eyes full of fright. "A time grenade! Let's get out-"

He never finished the sentence, for the grenade had exploded, killing him instantly. Grosla never saw the shrapnel coming right towards his head, and soon he felt a sharp pain right on his brain and saw fainting darkness. He toppled to the ground, along with all nine of his comrades. In a matter of moments, the place had gone silent, and after thirty years of stillness, the space station had once again served as a graveyard.

Bill was so startled that he threw down his comlink, his soldiers watching him in amazement. "I just heard an explosion through my comlink. Something had happened to the other group."

The other soldiers could only shrugged, knowing the worst had happened. They looked among themselves, their eyes worried and shaking with sudden grief. Half of their entire team had been vanquished.

Bill picked up the comlink and fastened it on his head again. "Sergeant, did you hear that explosion?"

The squirrel that was left alone far away in another room answered, almost quickly. "Yes, sir. I checked on the computer and the blips representing the other group had disappeared suddenly."

"You mean that-"

"They're dead, sir. All of them. This could mean a grenade, possibly a timed one, had done the job. A phaser can't eliminate all of them at once."

"So, Wolf and that stranger have more weapons than just their phasers. This is now getting serious. Where is Wolf's location?"

"Um, let me check,....oh dear.."

"What? What?"

Bill heard a yelp from the other end. Frantically, he cried out for a response. "Sergeant? Sergeant!?"

Another voice answered him. "He's fine, for now. Stupid fool wasn't even paying attention to our positions when he was looking at the life-scanner. How are you doing Bill?"

"Wolf!"

"Never cry wolf. You know that," the evil one-eyed beast mocked. "Sheila here is a genius. After all, she killed a lot of your precious pilots and ten of your troops. You came in here as a hunter. Now, you are the hunted. I know we can chat a little while longer, but Sheila here is getting tired of holding your runty squirrel. Watch your back, mutt! Ta-ta!"

Bill threw down his comlink again, this time shattering it into several pieces. He looked at his soldiers with great fury. "To the room with the Sergeant! Double-quick!"

Wolf laid down the squirrel's comlink with a grin. Sheila was easily holding the Sergeant's small body, but she was desperate to kill him so that he won't struggle again. She showed that in her eyes.

"This time, Sheila, let me do the job," said Wolf. "Put him on a chair."

The squirrel was roughly forced to sit on one of the console chairs. He wasn't tied in, but he knew escape was futile with these two fiends nearby. "What do you want, you cyclops?"

Wolf shook his head. "I always hated that insult. You're very brave, calling me that while I'm the one with the gun. Either that or you're a brain-dead idiot. Can you fix a communications line?"

The squirrel refused to answer. Wolf pulled out his dagger that he always had and laid the blade right in front of his neck. Pain darted up to the squirrel's brain, and he grunted faintly.

"Listen, you bushy-tailed runt! If you don't answer me, then that tells me that you can't do it, and that will make you expendable. If you are worthless, then one second later, you will be cleaning your blood off the floor with your intestines as a mop! Do you understand me!?"

The squirrel shook his tiny head up and down, the dagger making him bleed. Wolf smiled again, and put the dagger back on his scabbard and pointed at the computer. "Now, can you fix it?"

"Well, it's um, out of date, but, uh, I can fix it...."

"Good. You'll be alive for a few more seconds."

Sheila decided to speak up. "Wolf, Bill and his boys are coming. We need to get out of here."

"Of course. We're not going to stay here, but we have to leave other than the hallway."

"So how can we get out?"

Wolf pointed upwards, and Sheila saw a large vent on the ceiling. With a few crates already in the room, it could be easily reachable. "We go through by the ducts and into Engineering. I don't think it'll be comfortable, but it's a whole lot better than meeting Bill head on. Tie this runt up by the mouth and I'll get the crates in position."

About ten slow minutes later, Bill and his group of panicked soldiers rushed into the same room. They frantically looked around, their minds racing and guns pointing in case of an ambush still. Bill found the comlink on the keyboard of the computer. 

"They have the Sergeant with them. Split into pairs and spread out. I don't care where you go."

"What about you?" one of the troopers asked.

Bill looked up at the ceiling and found the vent opened. "I'm going through the ducts. If we don't have our targets killed within an hour, then meet here and we'll get out of this dump. I'll call for Katina fighters and blast their ships, and Wolf and that Sheila will be stuck in this hellhole forever."

Chapter Nine

"It is better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven."

--From _Paradise Lost_, John Milton, Earth

The squirrel was roughly taken down from the duct into the Engineering room with Sheila already standing. He was then forced to sit at another chair as Wolf came down. Sheila stood by the doorway, alert for any soldier to come, while Wolf mentioned the squirrel to one of the large electric circuit boxes by a computer.

"Let's see if you can fix it, runt."

The Sergeant then nervously opened the door of the box and found a mangle of wires and microchip drawers. He cursed himself, for this may take hours for him to get this mess settled up and Wolf had been known to be very impatient. Still, he poked his head into the box and prepared to do his work.

"Um, sir, I need some tools."

"I don't see any here. You'll have to settle without it."

"Then it will be harder for me to fix it, and it'll take longer."

"You have ten minutes, starting now."

The Sergeant cursed himself and began readjusting the old wires. While things may seem hopeless, he still has the chance to make the best out of this. To make sure, he quickly felt a square-like bump on his right pocket of his uniform shirt. Smiling, he craftily drew up a plan that could or could not finish off these wolfish fiends once and for all.

The ten minutes had passed, and when Wolf spotted two blips on the life-scanner that were moving close to the Engineering room, he almost panicked. "Have you fixed it yet, runt?"

The squirrel pretended to be busy. "Can't you wait for another minute?"

"No! Get out of there now!"

__

It's either now or never. The Sergeant then reached in his pocket and reached out a small microchip-type bomb that was supposed to explode five seconds after the small red button on it had been pushed. He laid it within the still-mangling mess of wires, and pushed the button. Sheila saw him and rushed close to him as he hurriedly crawled out.

The squirrel stood up quickly, but Wolf grabbed him by the arm. Sheila couldn't see the bomb, but she knew this squirrel had put something in there that wasn't supposed to be there. Realizing that she must get out, Sheila had just popped her head out of the circuit box when the box exploded right next to her.

With a pained squeal, Sheila was thrown a few feet away while still lying down, her face a sudden charred mess. She rolled across the floor for another few feet, then halted, her body almost still. Wolf, his fury reaching a new boiling point, shoved the squirrel to the floor next to her and fired at him with his phaser. The squirrel didn't even make a sound as he died, smoke fuming out of the laser wound. Wolf scrambled next to Sheila, holding her burned head. 

Wolf looked at the doorway just in time to see two Katina soldiers, their machine guns aimed at him, appearing. With a desperate plan, Wolf rolled just out of the way as the soldiers' lasers went right by him. Wolf then knelt quickly and fired at one of the soldiers, and quickly fired at the other. The shots were accurate, and the soldiers fell to the floor dead without uttering a sound. Frantically, Wolf knelt right back next to Sheila, but he knew she was going to die within seconds.

Even as the excruciating pain tortured her mind, she managed to smile as Wolf looked at her from above. "Looks like...your debt will...never be repaid. You owe me twice, remember?"

Wolf chuckled a bit, but that was it. He had a reputation of laughing his lungs out as a prisoner of war lie before him dying, but this was no prisoner. This was a friend. "I will forever be in your debt, Sheila Lupine."

Sheila coughed, then she herself chuckled. "Take my _Sunlaser,_...Wolfie, and get the hell out of here..."

Her eyes suddenly closed, and her head went limp. Wolf knew what had finally happened to her. Carefully, he laid her head to rest, and stood up. He remained standing for a few seconds before he left the room. Before he would leave, he fired another laser shot at the squirrel Sergeant. The squirrel almost jumped with the impact, and then he was still again.

Another ten minutes had passed. Bill Grey had reached the Engineering room, and was shocked at the scene as he came down from the ducts. With a sigh of disbelief, he spotted his dead Sergeant, fired twice, right next to a dead white wolf with red ears. That must be the stranger, this Sheila that killed so many of his pilots and soldiers, and now even she had expired her life.

Bill ignored her and got into the hallway. Now, Wolf's partner was dead, and he would be alone. _And with good riddance,_ Bill thought. He ran out and roamed the hallways, alert for the one-eyed monster named Wolf O'Donnell.

Chapter Ten

"Sheila Lupine had done the impossible. She managed to warm my cold heart."

--Wolf O'Donnell, StarWolf

Wolf was stuck. After minutes of fruitless searching, he just couldn't find the place where Sheila's jet was docked. He fumbled around a large lounge room, not knowing where to go. All around him were benches, withered trees, one dead and decaying corpse, and dusty Cornerian tapestries were hung from the ceiling. A dried up foundation with cracked cement was there also. There were several doors that leads to different ones, and Wolf couldn't figure out which one would be the correct one to go to.

__

Dang! Am I going in circles here? Have I been in this lounge before? Oh gee, now's a great time to be lost...

A laser shot close by, hitting a chair with a _bing _sound. Wolf twirled his head and spotted Bill standing at one of the doorways, his machine gun aimed directly at Wolf. He aimed his phaser back at him, but both of them didn't attempt to fire. It was almost like a showdown.

"Take that as a warning shot, Wolf. You eluded us long enough. Now you will die just like that white wolf in the Engineering room."

Wolf was never in the mood to talk while in a showdown. "Oh yeah, who says so?" With a quick pull of his finger, he fired a laser at Bill. The dog was one thought ahead, and ducked just as the laser brushed past his helmet. Wolf rolled behind the fountain in the center of the room as a barrage of lasers burned spots on the floor where Wolf had moments before had stepped on. Bill continued to fire at the fountain, splattering chips of cement onto the floor and Wolf. 

After twenty shots, Bill finally ceased fire. "Come on out, cyclops!" He taunted, not noticing that he was still unwisely stood out in the open. "Pop your head out so I can make it burnt like your girlfriend!!"

Wolf growled, but he knew that Bill wanted him to become angry. He kept his cool, and remained hidden behind the fountain. "Why don't you come and get me, loser! You're still the hunted!" And with that, he stood out of hiding and quickly fired a laser shot and made a run for it towards one of the doors.

The shot luckily struck Bill's right leg, and he fell, screaming in pain. Still determined, he fired a desperate barrage of lasers towards Wolf as his enemy was running. To his greatest disappointment, the shots missed, and Wolf was gone out of view.

"Damn! Not now!!" Despite the pain, he tried to stand up and attempt to chase Wolf, but he quickly stumbled and fell again. He was weeping sudden tears, and threw his machine gun in great anger. Wolf had escaped right under his nose, and his leg was busted in the end. This mission, despite the death of Sheila, was a complete failure to Bill. The remaining soldiers burst into the lounge almost simultaneously, and rushed to Bill. The Commander never bothered to order his soldiers to chase Wolf. This mission was already over. Wolf would survive to fight another day.

Sitting in the cockpit of the _Sunlaser_, Wolf breathed a sigh of relief and turned on the engines. With a humming song, the custom-made jet moved out into space, and Wolf made one last look at the space station that would the resting place of a certain white wolf with red ears.

"I say farewell, my friend. I know I have never told you this before, but thank you for saving my life, twice."

With a burst of engines, he turned towards Venom, and left the space station and Sheila Lupine for the last time.

The End


End file.
